lost stars
by that.black.bird
Summary: In which a stranger on Earth has an unexpected connection with Shiro.


**Warning: minor season six spoilers. Very minor**

* * *

He was just barely a memory to me.

Funny how when we first met I didn't believe he existed at all.

 _It was a little over a year after the Kerberos mission and humankind had made more progress than ever in space travel, but as I stared up at the stars they still seemed so far away. It felt as though the sky was not a vast universe, but rather a dark barrier with holes poking through. And I, undeniably tethered to this planet, was helpless to breach it._

 _I often looked to the night sky for answers. Clear nights were the only time that Earth could see what the rest of the universe had to offer, and I'd wonder during these times what was out there._

 _It surely couldn't just be us?_

 _And tonight as I pondered what may be of me, a shooting star passed my site. I wondered star was dying, so far beyond my reach, and what I could do to stop. And, like a child, I clasped my hands together and wished upon it, hoping for more than this boring life._

 _That wish was granted, much sooner than I thought._

 _As I went to sleep that night, my soul left my body. I thought it was just a dream as I entered into a cosmic plane. There were stars everywhere, shining brighter than I had ever seen. Assuming it was a dream, I wandered, admiring their beauty._

 _Soon enough, I found out I wasn't alone._

 _A prosthetic hand was placed on my shoulder, causing me to jump. I turned, facing the owner of the dark hand and was met with a pair of stormy gray eyes._

 _He stood more than a head above me and looked extremely troubled. I felt a pang in my chest, seeing the hurt in his eyes._

 _"Who are you?" he inquired, a hostile edge to his voice. "How are you here?"_

 _I remember feeling as though I were at a lost for words. Honestly, if it happened again I don't know if it would be any different._

 _"I-I don't know," I managed to stutter out. "I thought I was just dreaming. Am I not dreaming?" I wondered, worried by his tone._

 _The handsome stranger simply shook his head. "I suppose I don't know either. You look human. Are you from Earth?"_

 _And of course, I didn't know how I could be anything but human and now his questions and fake arm were making me question his own identity._

 _"Yes. Yes, are you not?" I asked, curiosity getting the better of me. "Are you an alien? Were you trying to contact Earth? What is this place?"_

 _And now, he was at a loss for words. I chuckled nervously, apologizing for my questions. His features softened, and he seemed to open up._

 _"I'm from Earth too, but I'm not there anymore. I don't know where we are. I think it's just a place for lost souls," he mused, and I smiled._

 _"Seems awfully fitting for me."_

 _He smiled back, shoulders relaxing._

 _He opened his mouth to say something to me, and it was at that moment that I woke up._

 _Later that day, I found an old article on the Kerberos mission and the three members that went missing._

 _'It couldn't be…' I thought._

 _Yet by night time, I had all but forgotten about our exchange. And for months, I thought nothing of it. I didn't hear from him and so, I didn't think of him._

 _Until one night, after a long day at work, I fell into a deep sleep._

 _I woke up in the vaguely purple atmosphere, constellations decoration the air. This time, I turned around in search for him._

 _I was not disappointed._

 _"Lost souls, hmm?" I remarked, seeing his face. Despite our last meeting being brief, there was something awfully comforting about it. "What has brought you here, star boy?"_

 _His lips curled up when our eyes met, gorgeous gray eyes lighting up a bit. Here, we didn't know anything but each other, and we didn't even know each other. What was stopping us from being completely different from who we were, or from being the most honest version of ourselves?_

 _"I have so much work to do," he sighed. "I'm the leader of a team and it feels like no matter what I'm doing I'm wrong. Have you ever felt like it's so much work just to barely hold things in place?"_

 _I exhaled, sitting down to speak. "All the time. All you can do is take a break and hope to do it better when you're back."_

 _To my surprise, he sat next to me, leaning his back against mine. We stared opposite of one another, unable to see one's face. 'What if I can't take a break? What if everything falls apart when I'm gone?"_

 _I pondered on it for awhile. He had a good point._

 _"You said you're part of a team, right? Do you trust them?"_

 _His voice darkened._

 _"With my life."_

 _That was a relief to know. I huffed out a smile. "Then it won't fall apart. If you trust them, I'm sure they'll know you need a break. I'm sure you can rest."_

 _He relaxed to lean against me, his body slumping against mine. It felt nice to be able to support someone who appeared so strong._

 _"And what of you, stranger?" he mused. "How is life on Earth?"_

 _I adjust so I was facing him now, my hand brushing against his._

 _"Probably more boring than life on space. My mind spends more time in the clouds than seeing what's in front of me, you know?"_

 _He lets out a long drawn out sigh, arm falling closer to my own and head rolling over to lean on my shoulder. "Absolutely," he remarks. "More than I can say."_

 _I leaned against him as well, and we sat in silence. It was awfully nice, sitting in the comfort of someone and understanding exactly how they felt and having full confidence that they knew it too._

 _I opened my mouth to make a remark but before I could say it (and I hate to admit that I've now forgotten what 'it' was), he faded away._

 _After that, I saw him more often. A few times a week, and then almost every night. He made nights something to look forward too again. I hadn't seen his name and wasn't looking to find it. Meanwhile, the name 'star boy' seemed to catch on and after a few meetings, he favored to calling me 'darling' or 'dear,' which was much more preferred than stranger._

 _It was a stormy night when I next went so sleep, and I rolled around in distress before finally sleeping._

 _"Hello, dear," he greeted as I entered. I turned around to greet him and his expression suddenly dropped._

 _"What's wrong?" he asked almost immediately after seeing my sunken face. I smiled weakly._

 _"Please, this is a time that we use to get away from our problems. I'd hate to trouble you with mine," I protested. However, his stern gaze pushed for answers as he made sure I knew I could say whatever I'd need to him._

 _"Listen," he said. "I know this is insane, but I do care about you. Hell, I don't even know if you're real. But if there's something troubling, I want to know. I want to help."_

 _I looked him in the eye. I always wondered how someone could hold so much in their eyes, as he hid such a storm inside them. It truly meant so much knowing he was here, through thick and thin._

 _I sighed._

 _"It's stupid."_

 _"It's only stupid if you make yourself feel stupid," he remarked. Really, nothing got past him._

 _"I'm so tired of living on Earth. It's so boring and I feel like I'm not doing anything with my life. It's my life, but I feel so helpless to my unhappiness I explained, shoulders slumping in defeat. He nodded, and I was sure he understood what I mean._

 _"I know being in space makes it seem as though there's always something happen, and there is, but I've felt the same way. Instead of focusing on what you can't change, focus on what you can," he looked out into the vast space in front of us._

 _"And slowly, maybe you'll no longer be afraid of doing what you really want."_

 _I smiled gently, leaning against his shoulder. He always knew what to say._

 _Before I could thank him, I awoke again._

 _After that, I noticed a change in my actions. I started to do things I wouldn't have done before. Whether it be taking the long way home or volunteering for a task that terrified me, slowly I became less afraid._

 _And at night, I'd see him again._

 _"Good evening, my star boy," I smiled, seeing him. Tonight, his eyes were darker than usual. I reached for his hand immediately, seeing his troubled expression._

 _"Talk to me," I begged. "At least let me comfort you."_

 _His head crashed against my shoulder and we sat down together, his body encasing mine as he held on for support. For a while, we sat in silence and I rubbed his back. Tears welled from his eyes and I could only wonder what brought on the bout of emotions._

 _"What if I'm not good enough to be the leader?" he suddenly spoke up, gripping my arm as he spoke. I held him gently, trying to offer comfort. "What if the lion made the wrong choice?"_

 _His words filled me with fear. I wondered who made him feel this way._

 _"We're making a plan to challenge one of our biggest enemies and he's so much more powerful to me. What if I can't lead Voltron the way he did? What if he's a better black paladin? What if it gets us killed?"_

 _I had no idea what he was talking about it. But there was one thing I was certain of._

 _"You're wrong, star boy," I whispered. "It's okay to be afraid, my dear, it just goes to show how much you care about your team. You're doing so well, I'm sure of it."_

 _I rubbed his back as he sobbed into the curve of my neck, muffling his sobs. As he sobbed his pent-up feelings, I received it all. I was sure he'd do the same for me._

 _Soon, he calmed down. His raised his head, rubbing his eyes and smiling his beautiful smile at me._

 _"Thank you, darling, and" he snuffled. "I'm sorry you had to see me like that. I swear I'm not like that in front of my team, I just…" he trailed off. He didn't need to finish the sentence, I knew what he wanted to say._

 _"It's perfectly okay," I responded, interlocking our hands again and leaning my forehead against his comfortably. "I am here for you, whether that be holding you sobbing or hugging you in joy. I've got you."_

 _He sighed and I could see the weight lift from his shoulders. He reached forward, engulfing me in his arms. I felt safe._

 _"And I will always be here for you, too," he affirmed._

 _Warmth burst in my chest, in a way I could not explain. He pulled away from me, brushing a strand of hair behind my ear. I leaned my cheek into his hands, comfortably. With him, I was safe._

 _Slowly, I bent forward. He did as well, longingly._

 _Before anything could happen, I woke up again._

That was the last time I saw him.

It had been months. Maybe years, I wasn't keeping track. I still thought about him at times, but he was no longer a staple in my life. I often wondered if our conversation even happened at all. Perhaps it was a delusion I created to keep myself busy. Perhaps, he was just a figment of my imagination.

Still, I found myself unable to enter relationships. I was not able to love someone without picturing him, and I hated myself for it. But I couldn't hate him.

I still daydreamed of him sometimes, wondering if he'd ever visit Earth. I wondered if he beat his enemies as well as the monsters he faced on his own. I was powerless to find out.

When one of the members of the Kerberos mission, Samuel Holt, returned, it piqued my interest. Where were the rest of them? Were they out there, as well?

Little was revealed to the public about what he had been up to, but I certainly had my suspicions.

Still, there was little a normal human could do on the other side of the world, barely making a living and with nothing but a dream or two to prove their point.

Instead, I continued with my life. I acted as if it had never happened as it weighed down on my consciousness.

That is, until the fateful day came.

I watched the news, wondering if anything interesting had happened. Truly, I was not disappointed.

The name "Pidge Gunderson" was displayed on the screen, with the image of a young girl in green armor next to it. The armor, I realized, was like that which he always wore.

Two more people were shown, Lance McClain and Keith Kogane, both wearing the same order. The news did not seem to be over and so I watched with bated breath, wondering who else there could be. I wondered, hopefully, if he would be there as well.

 _'Takashi Shirogane.'_

I gasped.

His face had certainly aged since I last saw him, and his hair was entirely white. His armor was dirty and his prosthetic arm was missing entirely, but his gray eyes shone brightly. There was a storm brewing beneath them with a vigor I could recognize anywhere.

It was him, my star boy.

Without a second thought, I opened up my laptop to see how quickly I could catch a flight to the other side of the world.

This, I suppose, is how it feels to no longer be afraid.


End file.
